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Seafood Made Simple: Flex your mussels with this risotto

Risotto alla Milanese is an iconic rice dish from Milan. It is typically made with saffron, bone marrow, an intense beef stock and generously finished with parmesan cheese. It's most often served with another famous Milanese dish; Osso Buco, braised bone-in veal shanks. Saffron, the hand-picked and dried stigmas of the crocus sativus flower, provides the risotto with its distinctive warm yellow hue and a wonderful floral undertone flavour to this dish. Saffron is a pricy ingredient, also known as red gold and considered the most expensive spice in the world. A little of these crimson strands goes a long way; when added to a dish that mainly consists of rice it balances out the economics. As always taking an oceanic approach, here I've opted to use mussel stock which rivals any beef stock when it comes to providing a rich and intense flavour. This dish is visually very impressive and just requires a handful of good quality ingredients to produce. I've also omitted the traditional parmesan used in risotto; with the inclusion of umami-rich mussels it's simply not needed. There are also very few seafood dishes that I think need the addition of cheese. Not to be intimidated, risotto-making is a walk in the park once you're patient, committed to stirring the pot regularly and adhere to a few key principles. The grain of rice you choose to use is the most important decision. Only arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano will do. All three are short-grain varieties that have a high starch content, yielding perfect creamy results. The stock being well-flavoured is imperative too. Gradually adding a well-seasoned stock will add layers of flavour to the risotto. The stock being warm is vitally important to produce a creamy risotto, the heat aiding the grains of rice to absorb the stock and release their natural starches. Mussel and saffron risotto recipe by:Aishling Moore This dish is visually very impressive and just requires a handful of good quality ingredients to produce. Servings 4 Preparation Time  25 mins Cooking Time  50 mins Total Time  1 hours 15 mins Course  Main Ingredients 1kg mussels, cleaned 125ml white wine 1 onion, finely diced 1 stick of celery, finely diced 3 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves of garlic, minced 65g butter 300g arborio or carnaroli rice 1ltr vegetable stock ½ tsp saffron 1 bunch parsley 1 lemon Cracked black pepper Method Heat a medium-sized heavy-based saucepan on high. Add the cleaned mussels to the preheated pot, immediately following with the white wine and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Give it a quick shake and allow to cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and pass the mussels through a colander with a bowl underneath to reserve the stock released from the mussels. Pass the mussel stock through a fine sieve to remove any grit. Discard any mussels that haven't opened. Pick the mussels from their shells and set aside. In a large heavy-based pot, sweat the onion and celery in the olive oil gently for 5-6 minutes to soften and sweeten, being careful not to allow the vegetables to catch. Season with salt. While that's happening, combine the reserved liquid from the mussels with the vegetable stock and add the saffron to infuse. Place on a low heat to warm. Add the minced garlic and sweat again gently for 2 minutes. Add the butter, allow to melt and then add the rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to make sure all the grains of rice are coated in the butter. Season with sea salt. Using a ladle or measuring jug add approximately 100ml of the stock to the pot at a time, stirring regularly using a wooden spoon Allow the rice to absorb the stock and release its natural starches before adding any extra. This will take 20-25 minutes over a medium heat. Once all the stock has been added and the rice is cooked add the picked mussels to the pot to warm through. Taste to correct seasoning and finish with lemon juice, parsley and freshly cracked black pepper. Fish tales To clean mussels, fill a large bowl with water and add the mussels. Using a small paring knife, remove any barnacles from the shells and the beard of the mussel. The beard is what the mussel uses to attach itself to the surface on which it grows; you'll find it halfway up the mussel. Rinse the cleaned mussels in a colander and refrigerate until just before cooking. Mussels should only be cooked when alive so discard any that have cracked shells or do not close when tapped. They should smell fresh and of the seaside. If storing uncooked mussels in the refrigerator cover with a damp tea towel. Mussels and the liquid released when cooking are both high in salt, so be sure to taste before seasoning. To get ahead, you can cook and pick the mussels the day before and store both the stock and mussels in the refrigerator once cooled. Read More Seafood Made Simple: How to make a classic fish and chips